McCain Support Continues Downward Spiral  —  Obama Leads by 19 Among Those Who Have Already Voted  —  Barack Obama leads John McCain by a 52% to 36% margin in Pew's latest nationwide survey of 1,325 registered voters.  This is the fourth consecutive survey that has found support for the Republican candidate edging down.

Election: Your health insurance at stake  —  McCain and Obama have vastly different views on the future of employer-sponsored health insurance.  Either one could bring big change.  —  NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Both presidential candidates want to turn employer-sponsored health insurance on its head.

Rift Cracks ‘Demoralized’ McCain Campaign  —  McCain Staffers Blame Palin's Lack of Readiness; Palin Loyalists Blame Over-Managing By McCain Handlers  —  The McCain campaign is definitely demoralized right now.  The blame game has begun.  —  There is no question that there is a rift …

7 days — One week out — Republicans expect to be crushed in historic landslide: buy emergency time in Montana and West Virginia  —  GM seeks Treasury $$$ ... GOP blame game now reaches down to state parties - Al Hunt is in Obama's gym pool at this moment — Michelle Obama shops J. Crew online …

Bush Stops by RNC to Give Thanks and Wish GOP Luck  —  President Bush snuck out of the White House under gloomy skies this morning to pay a surprise visit to the headquarters of the Republican National Committee, wishing luck to GOP staffers in a year that is shaping up as a potential disaster for the party.

Why McCain is getting hosed in the press  —  Politico political editor Charles Mahtesian was e-mailing the other day with a Republican lobbyist who signed off with a plea that sounded more like a taunt: “Keep it balanced.”  —  A reader e-mailed us with the same sentiment in different language.

Obama's ‘Redistribution’ Constitution  —  The courts are poised for a takeover by the judicial left.  —  One of the great unappreciated stories of the past eight years is how thoroughly Senate Democrats thwarted efforts by President Bush to appoint judges to the lower federal courts.

Curious  —  Why is it, exactly, that while Sen. McCain called for Sen. Ted Stevens to resign in the wake of his corruption convictions, Gov. Palin couldn't bring herself to utter the word?  Will the media interpret this as a disagreement between the candidates?  Was yesterday's statement a Palin audible?

Sources: Sarkozy views Obama stance on Iran as ‘utterly immature’  —  French President Nicolas Sarkozy is very critical of U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama's positions on Iran, according to reports that have reached Israel's government.  —  Sarkozy has made his criticisms only in closed forums in France.

McCain was frank, garrulous and accessible — and then he wasn't  —  John McCain talks to the media, including Los Angeles Times reporter Maeve Reston, right foreground with tape recorder, at a rally in Ohio in February.  Early on, McCain artfully created a sense of intimacy with the reporters who traveled with him.

Watch as the press corps battles its performance anxiety!  —  With the election just a week away and Barack Obama pulling away from John McCain, tiny tendrils of trepidation are starting to drift over the liberal members of the commentariat and the political press corps.

Hollywood insiders rip MSNBC, defend Palin  —  LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In a room full of television industry executives, no one seemed inclined to defend MSNBC on Monday for what some were calling its lopsidedly liberal coverage of the presidential election.

Palin's Love Boats  —  Until two cruise ships steamed up to Alaska two summers ago, the record for the silliest statement by a journalist had been held by Lincoln Steffens, in his time a famous American radical.  Sent in 1919 to see how Russia was doing under the communists …

Obama's Moving Tax Threshold: $250,000?  $200,000?  $150,000?  What Next?  —  One of the things I've seen at Republican rallies is that people just don't believe Barack Obama when he says he'll raise taxes only on those who make more than $250,000 a year.

Gallup Daily: Presidential Race Narrows Slightly  —  Obama leads by two to seven points among likely voters  —  PRINCETON, NJ — The gap between Barack Obama and John McCain in Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Saturday through Monday has narrowed slightly, and Obama is now at 49% of the vote …

Rush's Blueprint  —  Last week, Tony Blankley published and Rush Limbaugh publicized what may prove one of the most important articles of 2008.  I don't mean that the article was good - very much the contrary.  But bad work can be even more important than good, if enough people can be got to believe it.

Legal War Rooms Prep for Election Battle  —  Political Aides Passing the Baton to Legal Teams Which Will Handle Election Issues  —  With the election merely days away, exhausted political aides are rounding their last laps and preparing to pass the baton to a fresher, less sleep-deprived team: the lawyers.

Obama campaigns near Phila. despite bad weather  —  CHESTER, Pa. - Barack Obama carried on Tuesday with an outdoor rally at Widener University, outside Philadelphia, despite a cold, steady rain that made the temperature feel freezing.  —  About 9,000 people came out to hear the presidential contender.